Hiking group fights bikes on national trails

Mountain bikes should remain prohibited on National Scenic Trails, such as the Ice Age and North Country trails in the Midwest, according to Gregory A. Miller, president of the American Hiking Society (AHS) in an fundraising email sent to members of his organization.

He urged opposition to “an upsurge of organized mountain biking groups working to gain access to sections of National Scenic Trails” that “were neither designed nor built for mountain bike use.” Miller cited “concerns about safety, sustainability, and the displacement of hikers on trails with heavy bike usage.”

AHS believes that National Scenic Trails, and/or sections of these trails, where mountain bikes are currently prohibited, should remain closed to bicycles.”

Nevertheless, Miller wrote, “AHS is not opposed to mountain biking and, in fact, has worked alongside the mountain biking community to promote and protect trails, including multiuse trails. (But) there are times we must speak out on behalf of the hiking community. This is one of those times.”

Miller wrote that AHS “is seeking to raise $50,000 to be used solely in these protection efforts.”